The Efficacy of San Lazaro and His Manifestations: Divine Mediators of Health Within Miami's Cuban-American Santeria Community.

This study explored the origins, evolution and influence of the tradition of San Lázaro as it currently pertains to the Cuban-American Santeria community in Miami. The main argument of the study is that in the context of the contemporary religious culture of Santeria in Miami, San Lázaro is a hybrid spirit. Many manifestations of healing entities have come to merge in the person of this spirit. Though practitioners identify with specific manifestations of this spirit, the processes of transmigration have blurred the lines of deep-rooted faiths and created a fusion of meanings from disparate traditions, making San Lázaro an ambivalent personality. San Lázaro’s ambivalence is the very quality that makes him such an important Orisha. As a deity whose personalities demonstrates the combination of a diversity of qualities, including those that contradict each other, San Lázaro is deployed in a very broad range of healing context, making him a versatile Orisha. This study clarified the contrasting qualities this deity embodies and traces the socio-historical context in which the deity acquires the layers of meanings it is currently associated with. Drawing on interviews with Lázaranian worshipers [Lázarenos] in Miami and engaging in Bourdieu’s concept of Habitus, the study provided a window into the nature of the tradition of San Lázaro and how its usage is linked with the African heritage of the worshipers.

Health Literacy and Medicare Recipient's Knowledge of Health Insurance Options

Health literacy is a major problem for the aging population (Parker, Ratzan, & Lurie, 2003). The significance of this study was to access the relationship between health literacy and knowledge of Medicare to determine ways in which seniors can effectively navigate their healthcare insurance.

Commodification of health care systems: The Catalan case

Commodification of the public healthcare system has been a growing process in recent decades, especially in universal healthcare systems and in high-income countries like Spain.  There are substantial differences in the healthcare systems of each autonomous region of Spain, among which Catalonia is characterized by having a mixed healthcare system with complex partnerships and interactions between the public and private healthcare sectors.  Using a narrative review approach, this article addresses various aspects of the Catalan healthcare system, characterizing the privatization and commodification of health processes in Catalonia from a historical perspective with particular attention to recent legislative changes and austerity measures.  The article approximates, the eventual effects that commodification and austerity measures will have on the health of the population and on the structure, accessibility, effectiveness, equity and quality of healthcare services.

Making life better: Monitoring the wider social determinants of health and well being - key indicators 2015

This report monitors progress against the key indicators of Northern Ireland’s public health strategy ‘Making Life Better’ launched by the Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety (DHSSPS) in 2014. In addition to presenting the revised baseline positions for each of the key indicators of the framework, the report also monitors progress against each indicator by comparing the latest position with the baseline.

What is health and what is important for its achievement? : A qualitative study on adolescent boys’ perceptions and experiences of health

Few qualitative studies have explored adolescent boys’ perceptions of health. Aim: The aim of this study was therefore to explore how adolescent boys understand the concept of health and what they find important for its achievement Methods: Grounded theory was used as a method to analyse interviews with 33 adolescent boys aged 16 to 17 years attending three upper secondary schools in a relatively small town in Sweden. Results: There was a complexity in how health was perceived, experienced, dealt with, and valued. Although health on a conceptual level was described as ‘holistic’, health was experienced and dealt with in a more dualistic manner, one in which the boys were prone to differentiate between mind and body. Health was experienced as mainly emotional and relational, whereas the body had a subordinate value. The presence of positive emotions, experiencing self-esteem, balance in life, trustful relationships, and having a sense of belonging were important factors for health while the body was experienced as a tool to achieve health, as energy, and as a condition. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that young, masculine health is largely experienced through emotions and relationships and thus support theories on health as a social construction of interconnected processes. 

Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures Takes Holistic View of Health

To address modern health care challenges, the College of Human Ecology and the School of Hotel Administration (SHA) have formed the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures (CIHF), believed to be the world’s first academic center to combine hospitality, design, health policy and management. Led by Rohit Verma, the institute aims to improve service in health care, wellness and senior living through academia and industry partnerships.

Aplicación de la escala National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) en pacientes ingresados en el Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso con diagnóstico de enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica, enero-diciembre de 2004, Cuenca-Ecuador

Estudio descriptivo de pacientes con ictus isquémico ingresados en el Hospital Vicente Corral dentro de las 24 horas de inicio de síntomas, desde enero a diciembre de 2004. El daño neurológico inicial fue cuantificado usando la NIHSS. El desenlace neurológico fue valorado a los 7 días y 3 meses utilizando el Indice de Barthel. Resultados: De 75 pacientes ingresados en el período de estudio, 24 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión y 23 completaron el seguimiento. A los 3 meses 66.7de pacientes, con puntaje inicial NIHSS menor que 6 evolucionaron a un resultado excelente. Los pacientes con un puntaje NIHSS igual o mayor que 16 tuvieron un mal desenlace. El 50de pacientes con un puntaje de 16 a 20 y los pacientes con puntaje mayor que 20 fallecieron. En el análisis estadístico, un puntaje mayor a 13 tuvo un Odds Ratio de 49.5 (IC 954.5 - 480.5) para un desenlace fatal a los 3 meses. La asociación fue significativa lo que otorga al punto de corte de 13 puntos una gran validez para pronosticar un buen o mal desenlace. Conclusión. Aplicando el NIHSS a los pacientes con ictus isquémico observamos que un puntaje igual o mayor a 16 predice una alta probabilidad de muerte o severa incapacidad, mientras que un puntaje igual o menor a 6 pronostica una buena recuperación. Descriptores DeCS. Ictus isquémico, NIHSS, Índice de Barthel

Effect of Aging in the Perception of Health-Related Quality of Life in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients under Online-Hemodiafiltration

This work aimed to evaluate how aging could influence patients' perception of health quality of life (HRQOL), as well as, the effect of aging on dialysis adequacy and in hematological, iron status, inflammatory and nutritional markers. In this transversal study were enrolled 305 ESRD patients under online-hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF) (59.67% males; 64.9 ± 14.3 years old). Data about comorbidities, hematological data, iron status, dialysis adequacy, nutritional and inflammatory markers were collected from patient's records. Moreover, HRQOL score, by using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQOL-SF), was assessed. Analyzing the results according to quartiles of age, significant differences were found for some parameters evaluated by the KDQOL-SF instrument, namely for work status, physical functioning and role-physical, which decreased with increasing age. We also found a higher proportion of diabetic patients, a decrease in creatinine, iron, albumin serum levels, transferrin saturation and nPCR, with increasing age. Moreover, significant negative correlations were found between age and mean cell hemoglobin concentration, iron, transferrin saturation, albumin, nPCR, work status, physical functioning and role-physical. In conclusion, our results showed that aging is associated with a decreased work status, physical functioning and role-physical, with a decreased dialysis adequacy, iron availability and nutritional status, and with an increased proportion of diabetic patients and of patients using central venous catheter, as the vascular access. The knowledge of these changes associated with aging, which have impact in the quality of life of the patients, could be useful in their management.

Fundamental improvements needed for timely promulgation of health program regulations, Department of Health, Education and Welfare : report of the Comptroller General of the United States.

Date stamped on cover.

Perception of health benefits of dietary fibre among the Portuguese population

Introduction: Dietary iber (DF) has been part of human diet since ever, and its beneits for the human health have been well estab-lished and scientiically conirmed. Among these stand improved gastrointestinal functions, prevent cholesterol, diabetes or CVD. Objectives: To study the level of knowledge of people residing in Portugal about the health effects related to an adequate ingestion of DF. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out on a non-probabilistic sample of 382 adults residing in Portugal. The questionnaire included a section about the socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, level of education and living environ- ment) and another about the relation between dietary iber and possible beneicial effects to treat and prevent diseases. The data was treated using the SPSS software (V22). Results: The results allowed concluding that people were dif- ferently informed about the effects of DF in preventing and/or treating different diseases, being constipation the most recog- nized, followed in decreasing order by obesity, bowel cancer, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and breast can- cer. The results also showed that signiicant differences were encountered between age groups for most of the diseases evalu- ated, but not between genders, levels of education or living en- vironments. Conclusions: Generally, it was concluded that the participants in this study were relatively well informed about the roles of DF in preventing and/or treating various diseases.

Good Practices in the field of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention

Background; Approach and Concept; Methods (Country reviews; Definition of Good Practice Criteria; Identification of Good Practice Examples; Identification of transferable practices / elements); Outputs

Joint Action CHRODIS Work Package 5 - Good practices in the field of health promotion and chronic disease prevention across the life cycle: outcomes at a glance

Associated Partners in the Work Package 5: National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Portugal (Luciana Costa)

Men's experiences of receiving objective feedback on physical activity and other indicators of health risk, within the context of a gender-sensitised weight loss intervention

Receiving personalised feedback on body mass index and other health risk indicators may prompt behaviour change. Few studies have investigated men’s reactions to receiving objective feedback on such measures and detailed information on physical activity and sedentary time. The aim of my research was to understand the meanings different forms of objective feedback have for overweight/obese men, and to explore whether these varied between groups. Participants took part in Football Fans in Training, a gender-sensitised, weight loss programme delivered via Scottish Professional Football Clubs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 men, purposively sampled from four clubs to investigate the experiences of men who achieved and did not achieve their 5% weight loss target. Data were analysed using the principles of thematic analysis and interpreted through Self-Determination Theory and sociological understandings of masculinity. Several factors were vital in supporting a ‘motivational climate’ in which men could feel ‘at ease’ and adopt self-regulation strategies: the ‘place’ was described as motivating, whereas the ‘people’ (other men ‘like them’; fieldwork staff; community coaches) provided supportive and facilitative roles. Men who achieved greater weight loss were more likely to describe being motivated as a consequence of receiving information on their objective health risk indicators. They continued using self-monitoring technologies after the programme as it was enjoyable; or they had redefined themselves by integrating new-found activities into their lives and no longer relied on external technologies/feedback. They were more likely to see post-programme feedback as confirmation of success, so long as they could fully interpret the information. Men who did not achieve their 5% weight loss reported no longer being motivated to continue their activity levels or self-monitor them with a pedometer. Social support within the programme appeared more important. These men were also less positive about objective post-programme feedback which confirmed their lack of success and had less utility as a motivational tool. Providing different forms of objective feedback to men within an environment that has intrinsic value (e.g. football club setting) and congruent with common cultural constructions of masculinity, appears more conducive to health behaviour change.

Health tourism trends in the United Kingdom: Are they net exporters of health services?

The study investigates the inbound and outbound health tourism in the United Kingdom (UK) to determine if the UK can be considered as a net exporter of health services. Although there is an increasing number of studies analysing the phenomenon of health tourism, little empirical data are available. This paper contributes to reducing this gap by providing reliable data on health tourism flows for the British case. Using microdata drawn from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) for the period 2000-2014, we estimate the flows, number of nights and expenditure of tourists looking for medical treatment who complete international visits of less than 12 months’ duration to and from the UK. In addition, we analyse the main destinations of UK residents (outbound health tourists), and country of origin of overseas residents (inbound health tourists). The results show the upward trend of inbound and outbound patients (163 and 364% during the period 2000-2014, respectively), the strong seasonality in outbound patients (lower during the summer), and the significant increase in the levels of expenditure of overseas residents since 2005. Poland, France, India and Hungry are the chosen countries by UK residents to be treated, whereas Irish Republic, Spain, United Arab Emirates and Greece are the main countries providing inbound health patients. Public policy considerations are given.